Norway’s foreign minister condemned the “extreme acts” and said they would affect the country’s ability to support the Palestinian people.
Israel has revoked the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian diplomats working in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“Anti-Israel actions have a cost,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, citing Norway’s recognition of the Palestinian state and support for the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) lawsuit that accuses Israeli leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Norwegian ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on Thursday and told that his diplomats in Tel Aviv would have their status revoked within seven days and their visas expired within three months.
“This is an extreme act and will primarily affect our ability to support the Palestinian people,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barto Eide said in a statement, warning that the decision would have “impacts” on relations with the Israeli government.
Norway is still considering how to respond to the situation.
The United States said the move was counterproductive and would undermine Norway’s efforts to promote cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“Norway has a long and productive history of engagement with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday.
“I don’t think measures to prevent them from playing that role would be particularly helpful,” he added.
European Union Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell also issued a statement condemning the move and expressing his “full solidarity” with Norway.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement on Thursday, citing “serious comments made by senior Norwegian officials” that were seen as anti-Israel.
In an official document delivered to the Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv, the foreign ministry accused Norway of “unilateral policies and statements” since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, which preceded Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.
Spain, Ireland and Norway announced their decisions to recognise a Palestinian state in May, drawing strong condemnation from Israeli leaders who have repeatedly spoken out against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel was outraged, accusing the three countries of “supporting terrorism” and immediately withdrawing its ambassadors from Ireland, Norway and Spain.
The court also ordered the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem to stop providing consular services to Palestinians from June 1, a measure Katz described at the time as “punitive.”
In May, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, applied for arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes.
Khan announced that his office has “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant are “criminally responsible” for “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
